Western cyclone., 1887-09-09
Address by the President Of the Ora
ham County Agricultural and Horti-
cultural Association.


leave the farm and engage in 9th
er pursuits. we are naturally led to il
quirc; why is his so? From our stanC
) point there is no great mystery II
this matter. The fault lies not in any
perversity Of the present generation o.
boys, but it is the result Of faulty
system OF education. In our public
school system, from the primary to
the university, the whole tendency OF
the instruction is to draw the mind
from. instead Of toward, the workshop
| garden and farm. In our common
schools almost everything under the
canopy is taught except those that
relate to agricultural and mechanical
pursuits The boy in the primary de
partment looks forward to the acad-
{pmy, from that to the college, and from
the college to profession; or if he
falls out Of that line, Ii enters a store
a bank or insurance office or some other
Fc0rDoration as a clerk.
Weneed to recognize the import
ance Of agriculture in this country, and
the industrial arts. Our state has an
agricultural college but with the
increasing population ofthis state, we
need more thorough system Of indus
trail education III our common schools:
In the country schools OF Germany
and France. the children from the ages
of9 to 1G years are instructed in rela-
ton to the keeping Of bees, all kinds Of
farm work. the care and management
Of live stock. the cultivation Of the
garden, and the care and culture Of
trees. They are thoroughly instructed
in these subjects. They are taught
and made to unders yand that these
industrial subjects are of as much i'm
ptltance rs mathematics, geography,
grammar, or anything else taught.
Occupation on the farm, i'll the gar
den or among the fruit trees and
shrubbery, or in the care OF the horse
| or the COW. is as digpified aud import
to them. becausci it is part Of their
school instruction.
Tn this country the boy or girl in
school learns nothing Of these sub
jects, they may be able to tell the
length Of the Missippi River the
Height Of the Andes, and Of all, the
bays that indcnt the coasts Of the
New England, and the Southern
States. They can work problems in
mathematics am compose essays on
political economy, but they are taught
nothing in regard to the cultivation OF
the soil, to the true principles regard
inc the breeding Olive stock, the pro-
duction Of fruit, the chemistry of
plant growth and Il hundred other sub
jects 50 fascinating to an intelligent
person, when once key is furnished
him tOunlocl1 their mysteries, and SO
I they come to the conclusion that farm
ing is i very stupid business, and
they 90 away to the cities and towns
seeking employment, leaving the old
people alon2 on the farm to look af-
ter the live stock and secure the
crops the best they can After few
years the management and cares Of
the farm are burdensome to the old
people, and it is placed in the hands
Of an agent and sold to an immigrant
from Europe. During this time the
boys arc working rs menials in the
city on salary sufficient to barely
clOthe and board them with no
chance to save anything for sick
ness, or to fiji back on in time Of
need. The great want of our farming
interests to-day is this instruction in
on common schools, which, taking
the boy from the time he enters,
will impart instruction in all things re-
+
Iating 10 rural life, creating in him
an interest which will bind him to the
/ soil Ii this should be done the com
mon school will soon become feeder.
and we shall see our agricultural col
leges throngcd with students whose
desire Tor thorough agricultural Ell
ucatioR was awakened ny the eleme-
- ftoc4,atn4s~,, ,Is,sr-1 -,